Volume 45, Issue 2 (March 2000)

The Chain Saw: An Uncommon Means of Committing Suicide

A suicide committed with a power saw is an uncommonly reported incident; and the use of a chain saw in particular has been extremely rare. We report two cases of suicide that were committed by using chain saws. In each case the victim had a history of depression or of a prior suicide attempt, and applied the chain saw to his neck to kill himself. We summarize the findings of the two death investigations and the world literature pertaining to suicide committed with power saws.

Author Information:

Henrikson, DM Northern California Forensic Pathology, Sacramento, CA

Springer, FA Sacramento County District Attorney, Laboratory of Forensic Services,